Where Do You Use Solar Panels the Most?

Before buying your solar power system you’re going to be asking a lot of questions. One of the most prominent and important things to consider is where you use your solar panels. This is a question of where to position them on your home or office building and not a geographical question. The answers that you come up with will most likely affect the way your system is installed.

The standard home owner usually installs the solar panels on the roof. Most homes have the traditional upside down V shape for their roofs and installation goes quite easily. Most office buildings are also easy to install on as their roofs are entirely flat. However there are those buildings that have the odd design or strange configuration that you need to work around.

For instance, not every home has the same angel of roof and some are too steep to get up onto and install panels. Not to mention the roof might not be strong enough to support the added weight of your solar panels. For an instance such as this you may want to look at any outcroppings on the structure itself or at the walls. You can mount solar panels on any surface so long as it’s sturdy and can hold the weight of the panel itself.

That being said you can build a platform in your backyard and install them there if you so wish. Porches or decks with solid framed awnings are also good areas to install the panels on. As for buildings that are more rounded in design you have to get a little creative. While it’s not widespread yet many newer home designs are incorporating rounded surfaces.

This means there’s less area to install solar panels on without some external and internal modifications to the roof. Regardless of where you have to install them they do have to be installed where they can get the most sun light. There is a method for figuring this out and it does require a bit of work on your part.

The first thing you need to do is go outside during the day and take a good look at the suns movement. We all have a basic understanding of which way it moves but solar panels require calibration so it’s required that you take a good look. Once you’ve got an idea of the daily movement path of the sun you will then take an inventory of all the mountable surfaces facing that direction.

After doing this you then purchase and install your panels on the viable surfaces. In order to get the most out of them make sure you align them at the proper angle. While a general facing towards the sun will generate power a properly aligned panel will work at peak efficiency. Do keep in mind that you’ll have to periodically adjust the panels to compensate for the position of the sun during the seasonal changes.

Remember that the areas where you use solar panels the most are those that are facing the sun during the peak hours of the day. Installing them on any available surfaces in this area will ensure that they have the best power generating potential. Remember to do your research and double check any calculations as the installation process can be time consuming and it’s not something you want to do repeatedly.

Author Bio: Looking for solar panels, wind generators, and solar power products? http://energybay.org has most major brands in stock. Check out Energybay.org for our weekly specials.

Category: Home Management
Keywords: solar panels,solar panels harmful,power plants,ground pollution,solar power

Leave a Reply